Not Having It All

by Jennie Ensor

Neuroscientist Bea Hudson fears she is a bad mother and that her career will be thwarted by family life. When her husband suspects Bea of having an affair with her best friend, a chain of events is triggered, leading to a crisis in Bea’s life.

Bea Hudson, a neuropsychologist living in Godalming, is struggling to cope with the challenging behaviour of her obsessive husband Kurt and their disruptive four-year-old daughter Fran. On top of this, her boss is pressuring her to get results from her research. Bea has her work cut out.

Things come to a head when Kurt goes away on an extended business assignment. While sacking staff and drinking heavily, Kurt’s insecurities run amok and he becomes convinced that Bea’s close friend Madeleine is seducing his wife and unduly influencing his daughter.

Meanwhile, childless artist Madeleine sees her friend torn between the demands of work and offers to help with Fran. But when she reveals a startling desire to her unsympathetic therapist Mr Rowley, he advises her to focus on the attention of Colin, a man she met in a lift.

Can Bea survive the demands of her career and the turmoil in her marriage without having a breakdown? Can Madeleine survive Kurt’s anger and find happiness with Colin? And can love survive marriage, middle-age, alcohol and ambition?

Not Having It All is about a scientist torn between her stalling career and the demands of her family. With themes of trust, deception and obsession, it is a mercilessly playful take on modern friendships, relationships and family life.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2021

About the author

A Londoner with Irish heritage, Jennie Ensor writes emotionally-charged psychological suspense and thrillers, and darkly comic fiction.
She began her writing career as a journalist and loves to tackle controversial issues in her novels: Islamic terrorism, Russian gangsters and war crimes in Blind Side (a thriller set in the year of London’s 2005 terror attacks), abuse and sexual exploitation in The Girl in His Eyes. Not Having It All is a darkly humourous novel about love and relationships, not having children and the perils of family life.
Jennie’s fourth book Silenced published December 2021 with Hobeck Books – a crime thriller with a strong psychological element that ventures into the shadowy world of teen-exploiting gangs and police corruption.
Ms Ensor lives with her husband and an Airedale terrier. She writes short stories and poetry as well as novels, her poem Lost Connection placed second in its category in the 2020 Fish Lockdown Prize. In her spare time (?) Jennie reads widely, sings choral music, practices yoga and cycles the punishing local hills. Evenings, she’s often collapsed in front of a TV crime drama with a bar of chocolate/glass of strong alcohol.
You can find out more about Jennie and her books on her website https://jennieensor.com or follow her on social media.

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennie-Ensor...
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JennieEnsorA...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennie_Ensor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennieensor/

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ Funny, Compelling, Entertaining Family Saga.

Not Having It All is a laugh out loud story about Family Life, Bringing up Children, Marriage, Friendship and juggling work.

Bea and Kurt are juggling parenthood and work.
When Kurt has to go away for a while with work, leaving Bea and their four year old daughter Fran he starts to panic.
One thing springs into his head is how close Bea and her best friend Madeleine are.
He is convinced they are on the brink of having an affair!

Bea and Kurt both have their own worries and concerns it's a shame they don't communicate a bit more!
Bea is convinced she's a bad parent as Fran is learning to push her buttons and becoming a lil madam. Lol
Not only does she worry about Fran she worries if she has to drop any more working days because of Fran, she will no longer be respected in her field as a neuropsychologist.

It took me a little while to get used to the style of writing as the chapters alternate from Bea's Journal, Kurt's Journal, Katie the Au Pair, Madeleine's Therapy, and then back and forth emails from Bee and her sister Allie.
But they all flow together with ease.
It's actually nice to get each of their perspective, especially when it comes to Fran!

Not Having It All really is a compelling, light hearted and funny read.
The Characters are complex, well written and some are more relatable than others.
This is my first book by Jennie Ensor and it definitely won't be my last.
I really enjoyed her Wit and realism, the plot was entertaining, funny, full of angst and drama, lots of people will be able to relate to the storyline and characters predicaments.

If you are looking for an entertaining Women's Fiction / Family Saga, that will have you laughing out loud then you will really enjoy Not Having It All.
The perfect feel good Any time read!


Thank you to Bloodhound Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

My Review is also on my Blog Website :-

https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2019/0...

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Having it All is a novel predominantly about Bea. We follow her as she tries to keep some semblance of order in her hectic life. She has a big research project on at work, an absent husband and a demanding daughter. The pressure is building from all sides and Bea is increasingly fraught.

I love the title of this book, particularly the way it’s used on the front cover. The ‘Having it All’ and with the ‘Not’ slapped in front of it because this sums up the novel so perfectly. On face value most of the characters in this book, from an outsider’s point of view looking in, do have it all. Great careers, lovely homes etc but the grass always seems greener. Bea is a very successful neuropsychologist but the demands of her research, her young daughter and her husband, not to mention the nanny, are leaving her frazzled. She’s not got enough hours in the day. She looks at her best friend Maddie and sees a single, indendant woman with no children or commitments and she can’t help but be wistful. But we also get to see Maddie’s life and she’s not happy either. She longs for a child, a family of her own and wishes she had a lot of what Bea has. This takes a darkly comedic turn when Maddie starts seeing a Freudian therapist!

Then there’s Bea’s husband Kurt. He has to work away a lot and this leads to him becoming fixated on how much time Bea either has alone or with Maddie. He wonders if an affair could be happening. He takes desperate measures to try and find out. This all went way too far and I wanted to slap him but there was also something very amusing about where his obsession led him, like him involving his nosey neighbour in his plotting.

Bea and Kurt’s nanny, Katie, is a funny character. The scene with the dog in the park made me laugh out loud, I could picture it so vividly. She’s quite a demanding nanny but she also has to put up with a lot as the daughter Fran, aka Little Fiend, comes across as a brat. As a reader I felt sorry for Fran because of how the adults around her behaved and it obviously affects her. The nanny doesn’t have the all-seeing eye that the reader has though so I felt bad for her too as she deals with all the fall-out.

Not Having It All is predominantly told through journal entries, emails, letters and text messages, which really adds depth to the book, and to the characters. We get to find out their innermost thoughts and frustrations, which I loved. It keeps the novel moving at such a pace that you just don’t want to put it down!

I very much enjoyed this novel and I felt like I knew all of the characters really well as they’re all so fully rounded and well written. I keep wondering how Bea and Maddie are getting on! Not Having It All really does show that the grass isn’t always greener, and that asking for help or putting a bit more effort into what you already have might just bring you the happiness and calm you crave. This is a light-hearted read but also a book that made me think, and I loved every minute that I spent reading it.

Not Having It All is witty and fun, and makes you appreciate the life you have all the more! I recommend it!

This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com

[M T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for my copy.

This is a well written book about the trials and tribulations of marriage and family life. Full of rounded characters, some I liked and some I wanted to slap.

The main character Bea is trying hard to juggle family life and a husband with a vivid imagination with her demanding job as a research scientist. I loved the scientific aspects but I have an aversion to all things creepy crawly so this was a bit disturbing. I don't need research to prove that spiders frighten the heck out of me.

This book is not just humorous but poignant and emotional.

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not even sure why I decided to read this book. Usually I don’t read stories that could make me a laugh. I know that’s strange but I found myself not impressed by a few I tried. However this gem has changed my mind and I’ll be giving others a try.

Bea has a hectic life. She tries her hardest to be a perfect mum and wife yet nothing goes right.

This story has some fabulous secondary characters that add so much to the story.

Not Having It All is a well written story with a good storyline. The humour running through is enjoyable. Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

[Debs · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I struggled with this book but I am so glad I persevered- sooo funny at times and very relatable.

Lots of great characters really come to life in this read because of the great writing - well done!

[Jack Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of misadventures and misunderstandings

Bea's finding it hard to juggle parenthood, teaching and her research. Her husband's working abroad, Katie the ex-au pair finds the household baffling, four-year-old Fran bit someone at nursery and best friend Maddie has just started therapy. No one's any good at expressing their feelings so goodness knows what will happen. Nicely constructed as a series of diary entries, emails and notes, this multi-point of view tale is well-paced and amusing.

[Cas Meadowfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very human

Crazy cast of characters, all have insecurities that lead them to do and say things that maybe they shouldn't. This makes them feel human and likeable.

[Ruth Matheson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Having It All with the emphasis on the 'not' is a well written witty novel about a modern woman trying to keep it all together and be a supermum.... most female readers will be able to relate to her. Bea is desperately trying to be the perfect wife, mother, employee and friend except that nothing seems to go as planned. I liked Katie the au pair and the way Jennie writes her dialogue in broken English and in my head, I read this with the accent!! I have to say that I struggled with the book initially until I got into the flow of the book.

Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the Arc to review

[Karen Eisenbrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pointed comedy of errors, though not a farce, about multiple failures to communicate and an indictment of the modern workplace that demands everything a worker has to give without a thought for the costs to health, sanity, and family.

The central couple, Beatrice and Kurt, both have demanding, high-stress jobs: she’s a neurobiology researcher, he’s an executive of a tech firm. They are trying and failing to give 110% at work and to 4-year-old Fran. Katie is their barely competent Polish au pair. Beatrice’s best friend Maddie is a flaky but lovable artist, eking out a living. Colin is a mild-mannered cog in the insurance machine, making desperate plans for his inevitable layoff. All of these people have secrets and worries they don’t dare reveal, so they confide them in writing to journals or in letters/emails to faraway relatives—and to the reader.

All except little Fran, an intelligent and energetic child who can’t write yet. She misbehaves but can’t articulate why and no one has the bandwidth to help her sort out her feelings. Childless Maddie has fantasies of “rescuing” Fran from her overstressed parents, but of course she can’t tell them that. Kurt, away on business for weeks at a time, is paranoid that Bea is having an affair with Maddie but chooses to spy instead of confide. Bea tells no one but her sister in Australia what she’s going through with her work, her child, her shaky marriage. Maddie and Colin fall for each other but neither of them trusts themselves enough to be honest. Everyone makes terrible decisions in the end, but this is a comedy, so instead of bodies all over the stage, there seems to be a chance of happily ever after.

The letters and journals were overall an effective way to deliver the multiple points of view, while playing up the near catastrophic lack of communication between the characters. Everyone felt like they were getting things off their chests without thinking what they were doing to their relationships. I enjoyed the portrayal of a married couple in the chaos years, still mad about each other but in peril of losing a good thing. Maddie and Colin were also appealing as an odd couple taking a tentative chance on love.

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Where to begin? Too many thoughts to put down. But if I don’t, they’ll spend what’s left of the night partying in my cerebral cortex and sleep will be even more impossible’

Not Having It All is a story that takes a fun and lively look at the stresses of the working mother. Bea Hudson is a neuropsychologist, struggling to stay on top of her game. Her husband Kurt is currently working in Turkey, leaving Bea to cope with a very tempestuous pre-schooler and a full-time job that demands all her attention. Au pairs come and go as her daughter, Fran, chooses to make life rather difficult but at the moment their latest au pair, Katie, is staying….but only just about!

Bea is very close friends with Madeleine, an artist, a freebird, who lives a more chilled life, yet longs for a child of her own. Having lucked out with all the recent men she has met, Madeleine feels that her childbearing years are well behind her and craves time with Fran. Bea finds Madeleine’s presence comforting, a release from all the constant pressures in her life and is aware that Fran is a ‘nicer’ child when Madeleine is around. But Kurt is suspicious, convinced that there is more, a lot more, to this friendship between his wife and her artist friend.

‘Mad has special status, I quickly learned. She comes to our home on Bea’s only day off from university to dispense advice on our garden, dog, daughter and myself, and drink copious amounts of camomile tea, spearmint tea or Chablis while watching DVDs about French couples having affairs. She lures Bea away from looking after Fran to go to yoga and pilates classes, and delights in titillating anyone who will listen with stories of her shameless, oh-so-artistic past (the 3Ms – Men, Melodrama and Melancholia)’

Kurt begins to let his imagination take hold and visualises lots of different scenarios of the shenanigans taking place behind his closed front door. Kurt is exhausted. The travelling is taking it’s toll on his health. He is eating more and drinking more, a lethal combination when combined with the overall fatigue he is experiencing. Using extreme measures, Kurt finally decides to take things into his own hands, with rather disastrous consequences.

Kurt is completely paranoid and seems to have very little respect and trust for the woman he claims to love. Bea is run ragged trying to juggle way too many balls and, with the vibes Kurt is sending her way, Bea is frazzled, confused and generally just angry with how her life has panned out.

Add in a conman, a mad friend, a pooping dog, an au pair with very broken English and a frustrated little girl, it doesn’t take long for Bea’s world to start spiraling way out of control…..

Not Having It All is a madcap romp, a comedy of exaggerated stories but with an all important message at it’s core….trust. The book is written using a series of journal entries from the main protagonists, giving the reader an insight into all the varied perspectives from each character’s view of events as they unfold. The style of the different journal entries didn’t really appeal to me so much, with the use of so many different typefaces but the content was very amusing with the insane antics of all involved portrayed very well throughout.

Not Having It All is a charming read, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to keep you turning the pages. The perfect read for those days when you just want to switch off and be entertained…

[Ursula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This domestic comedy set in privileged suburbia (large house, au pair, white-collar jobs) is layered with quiet desperation and studded with impulsive acts. There is certainly plenty of action! The characters are real and mostly well-rounded with a lot of detail so we understand them. There are no two alike and so a whole kaleidoscope of different relationships between them.

The writing style is deliberately varied as the entire novel takes the form of written communications between the characters - texts, emails, letters and journals. The individual personalities show well in this, hardly needing the variety of fonts to distinguish them. It's interesting to see how a person uses a different tone when writing to a variety of people and then writing in a diary so, effectively, to themself. The format is a little strained at times as the characters must have taken so much time to write down their accounts of sometimes frenzied and time-critical activity. But this is exactly the mechanism used by Bram Stoker when he wrote Dracula over a hundred years ago. (I'm not especially well-read, I just happen to have read Dracula as a book club choice last month!)

The only person who doesn't write is four year old Fran and we see her only through the eyes of the other characters - her parents, child minder and auntie-by-friendship. She veers between angel and fiend but, sadly, all the adults seem too wrapped up in their own concerns to find this more than an inconvenience.

One of these adult concerns is work. The enjoyment or not of a job and career is quite thoroughly examined by the cast of characters. Allie, Bea, Colin, Kurt, Maddie and Nigel all consider major changes to their lives and, because this occurs gradually, it gives the reader plenty of time to review your own situation at the same time.

But the reason to pick up this novel is not self-improvement but enjoyment. It has madcap moments, funny incidents, misunderstandings, frustrations, odd characters, in-jokes, astounding partying, ridiculous premises and humorous dialogue, so there is plenty to amuse you.

[Courtnee Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not Having It All is a romance that borders on women’s fiction, drama, and comedy. Jennie Ensor paints a picture of diverse characters suffering from paranoia in different ways and the effects it has on each of them. Bea Hudson is left alone with their unruly, young daughter, Fran, after her husband, Kurt, leaves for several months on a business trip. After trying to balance the stress of maintaining the demands of her position while balancing her responsibilities at home, Bea leans on her long-time friend, Maddie, for support. Kurt worries that his wife’s relationship with Maddie has progressed beyond the bounds of friendship, and the actions of the characters domino into a funny conclusion. The story is written in the form of emails, journal entries, text messages, and therapy notes.
I didn’t develop a fondness for any of the characters, but it made Not Having It All more realistic. I liked the idea of tying in characters through emails and therapist notes, as it told the story from multiple perspectives. It also gave a background to the characters without writing it outright in first-person dialog. The story shows that everyone has their own conceptions of what they think will make them happy, but no one can have it all, as we are all flawed. The story has a healthy dose of drama, but it leads to some hilarious situations, especially during the climax of the book! I recommend Jennie Ensor’s story to mature readers who enjoy non-traditional romances and refreshingly unconventional storytelling methods.

[Louise Beech · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a physical and vivid book – one I could see happening before my eyes, like a theatre farce. In the best way! I can imagine it as a film. I enjoyed how the story unfolded via a variety of emails, diary entries, texts and letters, giving such a realistic feel too. One of my favourite ways to tell a story is through different voices, so this worked for me. The writing was sharp, witty and full of detail. I’ve now passed it on to my mum who is recuperating as I think this will really take her mind off things.

[Patricia Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be careful what you wish for !

This witty and satirical story is a warning to anyone who wants it all... be careful what you wish for.
Bea has a busy life, a promising career, a very naughty daughter and a husband who also wants it all. Kurt prefers his cake in all varieties - a tidy home, a perfect wife and daughter, an efficient au pair and for his life to jog along unhindered, oiled by too much alcohol and with the aid of rose tinted glasses.
Katie the au pair was my favourite character, she had chutzpah and her little notes, written in pidgin English made me chuckle. Colin came a close second, a modern Robin Hood with a lovable streak who I found myself cheering on.
We all know a Maddie, the flaky friend who comes up trumps when we least expect them too and despite their irritating flaws, have a vulnerability that is at times endearing.
This is a perfect holiday read, about so many women out there who want it all, or maybe they don’t, but have manoeuvred themselves into a position where juggling life, family and career isn’t quite what they expected.
Congratulations to the author on this well written homage to modern life.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not having it all by Jennie ensor.
A slow starter but after a dew chapters I started to enjoy it. It was different. I loved Madeleine character. She made me laugh with what she got up to. I liked Beatrice too. Wasnt sure about Kurt but he grew on me. I liked Colin too. 4*.

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a nice light hearted easy read and this fit the bill perfectly. Kurt & Bea seem to have hit a sticky patch in their relationship and their antics throughout this story will make you chuckle.

A fab light hearted read that I found comical, full of the every day gripes of marriage and parenting. Kurt is full of anxieties and doubt in his marriage to Bea. Bea is fed up of trying to deal with Kurt's anxieties, a demanding Fran with increasingly bad behaviour and juggling her much loved job.

Pick up this book and chuckle your way through as you get to know Kurt, Bea & Fran.

[Kay Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me entertained from beginning to end. I could see this on the stage as a farce. . Very entertaining and what I would describe as a jolly good jape. .
The characters are warm and very likeable, the story is original and entertaining from the outset. Thoroughly recommended. .

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bea is a mother, wife, friend and employee trying to juggle the demands coming from every direction in her life.
The story is a mix of angst, despair and 'laugh out loud' humour. The issues that the characters deal with are relatable to women who are similarly trying to balance family, work and relationships.

A very entertaining book that would be ideal for a book group.

Thank you to TBC Reviewer Request Group for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Carmel's Addictive Nighttime Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not having it all was my first experience by this author, I found the book flowed well with the characters keeping it engaging and on the ball. I wasnt sure if I would enjoy at the beginning but the characters grew on me very quickly, with some great humourous moments within it.

A perfect book to be brought to the local book club.... for sure. Would have many great talking points.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

How on earth does Bae Hudson juggle being a neuropsychologist on the brink of a breakthrough with being a wife, mum and friend? Well, I soon found that it isn’t easy for her as I read Not Having It All!

Bea is fraught and struggling. A serious career and research means she has to spend time at work to be seen as someone serious about her career. If she reduces her hours she could very easily be side-lined and her funding may disappear. Her husband also has a demanding job, often working away from home for periods. This time he is in Turkey because “he is the best man for the job”. With both of them in full time careers the housekeeping and looking after Fran, their daughter falls to Polish au pair Katie.

Along the way, I also met Madelaine, Colin, Nigel and Allie. They all have roles to play in one form or another. It seems they are also having some sort of crisis in their lives. This is at times a hilarious read as it includes such a cross-section of people. Whether they are having a midlife crisis, feeling guilty about working too much or feeling downright unappreciated, they all seem to be having problems of some sort. Life can be a pain sometimes as pressures easily mount, making mountains out of molehills and often just needed to be looked at from a different perspective or to have recognise the struggles of others. The author has taken everyday worries and wrapped them into a fabulous story that held my attention.

I liked the format or this book as it is told in journal entries, notes or emails from each of the respective characters. It felt that it added to the busy lives of those concerned. Yes, it is unusual but, it worked very well as I got to see different sides to each of the characters. It also meant that the story moved along at a good pace but also that it didn’t feel rushed.

I really enjoyed Not Having It All. I liked how it reflected today’s modern and fast world and also was upbeat and had a good level of humour that kept it from falling into a more serious read. I loved that I actually laughed out loud on several occasions.

Not Having it All is one I would Definitely Recommend.

[Alyson Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bea Hudson is a neuropsychologist working hard with her small dysfunctional team to get results from her research that will get her published and make a major breakthrough in her chosen field ahead of the competition. It mainly seems to involve using spiders to frighten the volunteers. She and husband Kurt, CEO of a computer company, live in Godalming in a comfortably big house with daughter Fran aged four. Kurt is obsessive, Fran is becoming a disruptive nightmare child and Bea's boss is piling on the pressure. No wonder Bea wonders if she is a bad mother and a failure, particularly when she looks at her friend Maddie who seems to sail through life on a wing and a prayer with little financial stability creating her sculptures and paintings. Kurt is already jealous and insecure, so when he has to go to Turkey on an extended business trip his imagination conjures up an affair between Bea and Maddie. Maddie herself is worrying that she has missed the boat regarding having children and harbours dark thoughts about how to obtain one, confessing all to her unfortunate therapist whilst seeking a suitable male. Things come to a head as the demands of life and relationships take their toll.
This would not normally be my choice of reading matter although I do like humour. At the start I really wasn't sure if it was my kind of book or not but the characters soon grew on me, particularly Katya or "Katie" the Polish ex-aupair and her endearing spellings! In addition to the humour, there are some rather poignant moments, such as the lack of trust displayed by some characters due to feelings of jealously or inadequacy which lead to huge and chaotic misunderstandings. The "garden" scene near the end is hilarious and brings on a most satisfactory ending to the book for all the characters.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite what the media would have modern women believe, Bea just doesn't believe it's possible to have it all. She's a very intelligent neuropsychologist, with a high flying career, carrying out research into phobias. Married to Kurt who also has a demanding career which he seems to think is more important than hers, they have a four year old daughter Fran (also known as Little Fiend by the au-pair) who is dearly loved but whose behaviour is becoming more and more challenging. Kurt suspects Bea of having an affair with her friend Maddie. While it's true Maddie has some secrets, it's not what anyone would suspect. When Kurt is working abroad for some time, things become more difficult for both of them and leads to some interesting situations!

This a cleverly constructed book where the entire story is told through emails, diary entries, counselling session reports, text messages and so on. This made it an interesting book to read and because of the different fonts or styles you always knew whose point of view you were reading. I did find the typewriter format of Maddie's counselling sections difficult to read but I think we can blame that on my middle aged eyes! I certainly had no problem with the lovely large font used for Kurt's chapters.

I really liked Katie the au-pair's diary. As is often the case, as a member of staff she was more than aware of everything that was going on and an astute observer of the family dynamic. Her chapters often made me laugh. Colin was a character I wasn't sure about initially but by the end I was cheering him on!

Not Having It All was an enjoyable read which made me smile a lot at some of the antics the characters got up to and cringe at some others. So did Bea end up having it all? Ah well, that would be telling. You'll need to read the book yourself to find out.

[Michelle Ryles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Jennie Ensor's books since I read her stunning debut, Blind Side, so I was very excited to read Not Having It All. This is very different to Jennie Ensor's other books but it really shows the depth of talent that Jennie has.

The format of the book is very unusual comprised of emails, letters, journal entries and texts, but the variety really held my interest. It rather feels as if you are spying on the characters as you become privy to their innermost thoughts and fears. This all helps to create well rounded characters that I really felt as if I got to know over the course of the book.

There is a lot of humour woven into the pages of Not Having It All; I frequently laughed out loud, mainly at Katie's journal as she looked after four year old Fran, aka Little Fiend. I also found Kurt's escalating paranoia totally hilarious as his imagination ran wild and he took completely over the top steps to keep an eye on things at home while he worked away.

Although Bea is the main character, she has a stunning supporting cast in addition to those I've already mentioned. There's Bea's friend, Maddie who is mad by name and mad by nature, Maddie's new man Colin, who is sick of denying pet insurance claims as well as Maddie's therapist, Nigel, who seems to get some reverse therapy from Maddie and Bea & Kurt's next-door neighbour, Adrian, who Kurt enlists for operation Get Rid of Madeleine.

There is so much going on that you can't help but race through the book; Not Having It All is highly entertaining and completely action packed. It is literally laugh out loud hilarious at times and I read most of the book with a smile on my face; a fabulous bit of feel-good fiction from Jennie Ensor.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Elena Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just below the surface of the charming and farcical humour of Jennie Ensor's 'Not Having It All' is a deeper message. She highlights the very real and contemporary challenges that female scientists (and other professionals) come up against when attempting to balance family and career. At times the book was uncomfortable to read, showing the all-encompassing pull research and career-building has on neuroscientist Bea Hudson at the same time that she suffers the guilt of not parenting as well as she'd wish. While her husband Kurt is free to travel for his career, Bea is left to fare as single mother to a rambunctious four year old, who would also prefer her mother not to have a career. When the reader meets the gorgeous, artistic, and rather troubled friend Madeleine she offers not only a hilarious point-of-view of a single woman without children but the reader gets to know her emotional struggles through meetings with her unprofessional therapist. I particularly enjoyed how this relationship unfolded and resolved.

There are many scenes in 'Not Having It All' which had me laughing out loud and in the next chapter gulping with emotion at the very real struggle Bea is up against. A husband who spies on her, a questionable friend with her own motives, pressure to secure a grant for her research, a nanny who is resentful, and a dumb-ass neighbour. I highly recommend this entertaining and thoughtful book. Ensor has struck a fine balance in tackling the career/family conundrum.

[Tom Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Email has led to something of a revival in the epistemological novel and Jennie Ensor’s latest combines email, snail mail, psychological case notes and diaries to tell the story of Beatrice Hudson, self-styled “stranded scientist, make-do mother and weary wife”.
While Bea is definitely the central character, we get almost as involved in the life of her best friend, Madeleine. Madeleine is an artist and free spirit who excites suspicion in Bea’s husband, Kurt, lust in Colin (we’ll get to him) and fascination in her psychoanalyst.
Madeleine is around a lot during this story as Kurt is off on business in Istanbul, leaving Bea to cope with four year old Fran, with only the part time help of au pair Katie. Madeleine is often by to help out with Fran, who alternates between being an angelic infant and a truly awful child, often referred to by Katie (understandably) as ‘Little Fiend’.
I couldn’t possibly start to describe the plot. It is so gloriously over-the-top as to defy summary.
Despite so much going on in the story, it is very readable and bits are utterly hilarious. Sit back and enjoy the chaos.

[H.M. Holten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satirical Comedy – Marital Frustration – Friendships in Various Guises
Bea and Kurt have it all, or have they? Both have demanding jobs. Their love life has retained its spark. They have a 4-year-old daughter, Fran, who misbehaves without being able to explain why – and an au-pair, Katie. She develops a strong animosity against the child in her charge.
Bea’s friend, Maddie, has exceedingly little. She is a would-be junk artist with two cats and a longing to get a child. Colin faces redundancy and takes unusual measures to deal with it. His search for love has never brought him much good.
Jennie Ensor takes these components and creates a vaudeville, a laugh-out-loud but serious take on today’s society. Misunderstandings, communication failures, secret surveillance, and hidden cameras bring everybody close to despair. Everybody mistrusts everybody with hilarious results. Ensor handles the multiple point of view through secret dairies, email conversations, the assessment of Maddie by her psychologist, and the au-pair’s candid comments written in her pidgin-English hand.
For Ensor, this is a deviation from her usual writing style, and she handles it with aplomb.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Having It All was a bit of a ‘slow burner’ for me. I struggled to get into the book to start with, likely due to the moving between chapters written from the perspective of so many different characters and then adding in the back and forth emails between Bea and her sister Allie. After persevering, I found that it started to flow better after a few chapters and I started to enjoy it more as the characters grew on me.

Bea is stretched to the limit trying to juggle her career as a neuropsychologist, her naughty daughter Fran, and her demanding and completely unreasonable husband, Kurt, who seems to think she is having an affair with her best friend Madeleine. The book follows each of them as they try to navigate their way through life and deal with their complicated relationships.

Full of humour and wit, this is a well written look at modern life and how each of us are dealing with our own insecurities and problems, yet still fall into the trap of thinking everyone else has got it all sorted. This gets 3.5 stars from me.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing..

Being a lady of a "certain age" I was so looking forward to getting this to read; but I really struggled to get into it.
It felt it was very disjointed and although I have read books before where each chapter is about a different person / journal entry etc it just wasn't working for me.

But what I really struggled with is where there is speech in it but with no "speech marks" I found myself re-reading bits over and over to make sense of it.
All that being said I will definitely try and give it a read again.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will give you a look into the life of Bea Hudson. She has fears that she isn't being a good mother, meanwhile, her boss is pressuring her for results on her research. To top that off her husband goes on an extended business assignment leaving her alone with their four-year-old. Madeleine offers to help Bea, but Bea is questioning her motives. This is a story that has funny moments, stressful moments, the whole ball of wax. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from the publisher.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A midlife crisis comedy of errors, with crossed wires, and absurd jealousy. The characters are all struggling with (not) having it all, and with a host of misunderstandings. The scientist mother juggles home life and a career, then the au pair and the increasingly jealous corporate hotshot husband struggle to understand why that is so.
The story has twists and turns aplenty. A good take on the epistolary novel by a skilled author with a keen eye and sharp wit.